1970's Abba Movement

Keywords:

• Chilled
• Relaxed
• Fun
• Flares

The fashion of the 1970's was a very hip, laid back fashion which was quite dull. The main colours used were browns, suedes and sand.
Many could say that the 70's fashion was very illfitting and no one was in to fitted styles. Trousers, tops and hats were often loose, baggy and flappy to sit alongside their laid back lifestyle.

Sandals, hats and boots were very popular during this period, as were the invention of the 'flare' trouser. This was usually accompanied by brown leather or suede boots to give almost a vintage, cowgirl look.

Abba were at the forefront of anything 70's. They inspired fashion, music and tastes throughout the UK, Europe and The world. The Swedish band were the iconic dancers and shakers from the time, and their hit tunes are still adored by many today.

     Abba are the epitome of everything 70's style.

1960's Rock and Roll

Keywords:

• Leather
• Tight
• Denim
• Rebellious

Rock and roll was a rebellious age in time, a decade where music expanded incredibly and so did fashion and dance for the everyday man and woman. It was a confident, rule-breaking genre with adopted a very specific fashion and style.
Women wore pleated skirts, usually with a bright or funky pattern, tight fitting tops in black and matching heeled shoes. The wore sunglasses to look inconspicuous, and neckties and little socks to finish the outfit off.
Men wore leather, denim, tailored suits with an unbuttoned shirt, they were sex objects, bad men and wanted rebels.

Elvis Presley was one of the first alongside Bill Haley and Billy Fury to really demonstrate the Rock n' Roll genre in music. These men were often seen as sex objects, wanted by many many girls and this stereotype has stuck today.
Elvis danced in a Rock n' Roll way too, he would swing his hips, arms and get down on the floor to dance.

Grease the film really embodied the Rock n Roll era of the sixties. The boys would drive around in fast cars, in gangs sporting jet black leather and unbuttoned shirts. Whilst the pink ladies would wear softer colour's and sweet dresses in contrast.

The dance moves were fast, quick, electric and fun.

Usually dancers wold dance in partners, with both male and female taking the lead. Each would have their own style of individual dance and then would come together for a grande finale or paired dance.

1950's Hollywood Glamour Dance

Keywords:

• Glamour
• Fur
• Sparkle
• Hollywood

Hollywood glamour was all about magic, sparkle and lights. Hollywood stars would have to appeal to the senses of the audience, so a lot of sparkle, glitter, feathers, sequins, gold and glamour was used

Marilyn Monroe was a huge hollywood star, on stage, on screen and had debuts in singing and acting. In a nutshell, Monroe simply sums up the 50's. She is sultry, sexy and embodies the 50's entirely.

Big curly hair, sparkly golden dresses, jewellery and feathers were very prominent and was a huge contrast to the dull and beige wartime years previously.

1940's Wartime Dance

Keywords:

• Beige
• Fitted
• Suits
• Well made

Wartime clothing was all about making things wear and last. They were made using tough and easily accessible materials. They were practical for the working woman.

Wartime makeup was a lot less than at any other times, due to it being expensive and hard to get. Many women during this period simply wore a shade of lipstick and maybe some light foundation and were often pale.

Wartime clothing was often tailored and fitted, and there was an influx in suits and blouses for women. Maybe one could say that the clothes that women wore were the male alternatives.

1930's Flapper Girl Dance

Keywords:

• Film Noir
• Vintage
• Spangly
• Feathers

The flapper girl was a beautiful and seductive object on stage, adorned with feathers, jewels and glitter, the flapper would use her charisma and technique to impress audiences in the 1930's.

Usually a flapper girl would dance in sequence with other ladies, in a line. They would dance to sequences such as the Can Can and high paced music, usually kicking their legs up in the air.
This type of dance is usually seen as a very sexualised act, because of the type of women that did it and the type of dance they produced.

A flappper girl would have very heavy makeup, usually black eyeliner surrounding the eyes, pale skin and red lipstick. These were all signs of a seductive look.
A flapper girl's hair was essential to making the look. usually this was done using finger curls,

Flapper girls accessorised well, they usually had beautiful jewellery and shoes. These would be adorned with feathers, gold, sequins, pearls and other gems. Long necklaces were very fashionable for a flapper. Flappers would always use some sort of headwear to finish themselves off.

1920's Mime and Circus Dance

Keywords

• Silence
• Black and white
• Film noir
• Expressionism

Black and white is a key feature of a mime, the expressions on their faces are even made in black and white.
Mime also incorperates fashion from the period that isn't used in the mainstream today, including silk gloves, braces, hats and high waisted trousers.

Female mimes are usually portrayed in a much more sexual way, usually with stockings, long silk gloves and often a belt or corset to give them an hourglass shape.
Sometimes red lipstick is used to make the female mime more sexual.

Traditionally a mime will wear black brogue style shoes with laces, however a female mime is usually portrayed nowadays as wearing some sort of high heel, usually in a red colour.
A female mime will usually accesorize with other red 'matching' items.

The mime is based heavily on french coulture and fashion. You can see this from the beret hat, striped artists t-shirt, braces and brogue lace up shoes. Maybe a french style music piece would go best with this dance style?

Dancing through the ages

Our story will be set during the 1920's, and will ultimately end in the 2000's. What we would like to do is use dance and costume to take the audience through each decade from the 20's until now. As the time progresses, so does the quality of the footage, the modernisation of the costumes and the style of dance.

The area's of each decade we would like to explore are:

1920's Mime and circus dance
1930's Flapper girl
1940's Wartime
1950's Marilyn Monroe and 50's Hollywood
1960's Rock n' Roll 'Grease'
1970's Hippie Abba
1980's Glam Rock
1990's Spice Girls/Britney Girlband
2000's Step up 2 Grime dance